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Conference examines fairy tale author's legacy, Nov. 10-12

Posted November 4, 2005; 05:27 p.m.

by Tom Bartus

Hans Christian Andersen, the fairy tale author adored by generations of readers, will be the subject of a conference Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 10-12, at Cotsen Children's Library.

The conference, titled "Hidden But Not Forgotten: The Legacy of Hans Christian Andersen in the 20th and 21st Centuries," will assess the lasting impact of fairy tales such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl." The conference, which will honor the bicentennial of Andersen's birth, also will explore why the author's work has been neglected by scholars outside of his native Denmark since World War II.

Nearly a dozen authors and scholars, many from outside the United States, will give presentations on Andersen's legacy. In addition to academic papers, the conference also will include live storytelling by Storytelling Arts, a dramatic production performed by the Cotsen Players, excerpts from a children's opera by the Westminster Conservatory Youth Opera Workshop and screenings of film adaptations of Andersen's tales.

Coinciding with the conference is an exhibition at Firestone Library's Milberg Gallery called "Wonderful Stories for Pictures: Hans Christian Andersen and His Illustrators," featuring works by a number of artists who have interpreted Andersen's tales. Among the books on display, which were published between 1890 and 2005, are illustrated editions of "The Princess and the Pea," "The Red Shoes" and "The Nightingale." The exhibition will be open until March 26.